VANCOUVER’S CLIMATE EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN
RENEWABLE CITIES’ SUBMISSION ON VANCOUVER’S CLIMATE EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN
City of Vancouver staff presented a Climate Emergency Action Plan to Council on November 3, 2020. Renewable Cities commends and supports the Plan—a decisive effort that demonstrates the seriousness every level of government should take in addressing climate action. The Plan’s leadership stands out in four areas:
- Building & EV Technical Acumen
- Land Use Integration
- Equity & Affordability Acknowledgement
- Pre-Fab Wood Construction, Forest & Forest Community Sustainability
We’re hopeful that this leadership will inspire others, notably the provincial government. While its targets are similarly bold, the B.C. government’s implementation efforts lack rigour and will frustrate progress of the City of Vancouver, other B.C. municipalities, and the province as a whole in meeting their climate targets.
Renewable Cities’ submission also highlights risks and gaps associated with implementation for the City’s consideration.
MANAGING RISKS: PUSHING CARBON, CONGESTION AND ECONOMIC ACTIVITY BEYOND THE CITY
Mobility Pricing Innovation
Further analysis, including spatial modelling, is necessary to optimize an effective mobility pricing regime. This must be undertaken regionally and ideally provincially. As well as addressing equity and fair infrastructure utilization costs, it is essential to consider carbon and congestion regionally, and, in fact super-regionally. The fastest growth in personal transportation carbon is in our super region, i.e. the Upper Fraser Valley and Sea-To-Sky Corridor where large shares of the workforce are commuting to downtown Vancouver and Metro Vancouver’s polycentric employment nodes.
Parking Policy Reform
The City’s bold ambition in parking policy innovation is encouraged. While there are many parking policy reforms where the balance of impacts are overwhelmingly positive, further analysis, notably by location and employment area type, are necessary to mitigate the risks of unintended consequences, particularly in employment and service areas with less abundant transit and active travel options.
MANAGING MIND THE GAP: LAND USE INNOVATION AND EQUITY INTEGRATION
Accessory Dwelling Unit Innovation
The City should build on its leadership in accessory dwelling units with bold new policy innovations that increase housing supply and manage affordability in traditional single family neighbourhoods. The City should also work with the province and non-profit housing providers to build capacity for managing secondary suites and home sharing programs on behalf of seniors to address affordability, climate change and social isolation.
Deep Transit & Land Use Planning Integration
As part of City Plan and Transit Action Plan updates, analysis should be undertaken to identify the potential and diverse opportunities for intensifying around major transit hubs, notably underutilized rapid transit stations, to meet rental housing targets and modal shift targets.
Download the full submission: SFURC CoV Climate Emergency Action Plan Nov 3 2020
City of Vancouver’s Climate Emergency Action Plan Report: CoV_Climate Emergency Action Plan Report